Nigiri

So it turns out that I like sushi.  I didn't know this about myself, but it turns out it's true!  Whenever my friends brought me to sushi places, I always got shrimp tempura or something very anti-sushi, things on the menus at these restaurants precisely for people like me.  People who can't get past the idea of raw meat. I'm a microbiologist, after all.  I'm not afraid exactly, because I know this type of food can be handled safely.  I just can't believe people would eat raw meat on purpose.  And anyway, the portions are so small, wouldn't you still be hungry afterwards?
Well on one business trip in California a month ago, it was the same story.  The group wanted sushi, so when we got there I ordered a tempura meal.  It was yummy, and I was full.  But something about the sushi still on the table had my curious streak running hot.  So I asked a couple of questions to let everyone know I was interested in tasting one piece.  Someone suggested the salmon nigiri since that's apparently a good sushi for beginners.  I found it quite yummy.  The texture is just what I had expected, and the flavor was mild and fishy.  I called the server over and ordered two pieces for my very own.
Well today, I was in Center City Philadelphia for a doctor's appointment and needed lunch.  I walked a few blocks around the doctor's office and stumbled upon this sushi place.  I didn't know how much sushi I should order, so I read the menu's lunch specials.  It seemed they sold 12 pieces of nigiri "plus" a plate of rolls or whatever as a lunch for two.  So I guessed 8 pieces of nigiri with nothing on the side would make a decent lunch for one.  I got two kinds of salmon, crab meat, and yellowtail.  I began conservatively: a bite of the same salmon nigiri I had tried in California.  Then I progressed to the new kinds of food on my plate, even to the point where I was putting a little ginger on each bite.  Towards the end I put a little wasabi in my soy sauce even!  It didn't taste any different though, so I concluded that I hadn't used enough.  That's where my adventurous streak wore out though - I couldn't put more wasabi and risk NOT LIKING the rest of my sushi.  I thoroughly enjoyed my food without it.
But I was still hungry in the end.